There are millions of farm animals in Quebec. They surround us and feed us and yet we know very little about their living conditions. After collecting testimonies from producers, animal rights defenders and experts, The duty invites you to discover the life cycle of Quebec’s main farm animals, from their birth to the slaughterhouse, as well as the resulting concerns regarding animal welfare. Note that all the practices mentioned are authorized by the codes of practice governing animal husbandry in Canada. Today: chickens.
Nearly 195 million chickens — Quebecers’ favorite meat — are produced annually in the province by approximately 620 producers. Unlike laying hens, which are raised in cages, broilers live in controlled freedom inside buildings. But the genetic selection that has caused chickens to grow bigger faster than before continues to be hotly contested by animal rights groups. Portrait of the life cycle of a chicken in Quebec.
From their first day of life, the chicks are transported from the hatchery to the breeder. Their beaks are not trimmed and the male chicks are not euthanized, as is the case with laying hens. The chickens are raised in “free range” on wooden floors in buildings where humidity, light and air quality are controlled.
For mee Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice, an organization made up of lawyers who give a legal voice to animals in Canada, it is inconceivable that these animals do not have access to the outside. “They should be able to breathe fresh air and see daylight,” she says.
An idea certainly attractive for consumers, but which would be expensive and risky, argues Pierre-Luc Leblanc, president of the Quebec poultry breeders and producer of 1.5 million chickens and 80,000 turkeys per year in Saint-Hyacinthe. “With the resurgence of diseases that we have outside, such as avian flu, if the birds were all outside, it is almost certain that there would be no chicken consumption at Quebec this year,” he points out, adding that the animals are also safe from predators and bad weather when confined indoors.
Moreover, it was not possible for The duty to visit a chicken farm given the restrictions due to the presence of avian influenza in the province.
Productivity gains
At 36 days of life, the rotisserie chicken has reached its slaughter weight, which is about 2 kilos. Growth that is faster than before due to genetic improvement (crosses have been made between faster-growing chickens, among others) and feed-related research that has increased the rate feed conversion — the amount of grain needed to produce muscle tissue. “Research is done so that the bird takes as little food as possible to make a kilo of meat”, explains Pierre-Luc Leblanc.
From 2005 to around 2015, the number of breeding days was thus reduced by four or five, continues the producer. For mee Camille Labchuk, this productivity gain is the source of great suffering for the chickens. “They’re growing so fast that they’re basically still babies, but have big bodies and very heavy chests since that’s where most of the meat is,” the lawyer said. “Chickens’ organs sometimes fail because they don’t grow fast enough to support their muscle mass,” she says.
A criticism that Pierre-Luc Leblanc rejects. “Our goal is to deliver live birds on two legs with a beautiful carcass,” he says. A breeder benefits from having a healthy breeding. If it is good, the bird will give it back to the producer because it will be very generous in terms of meat quality and flesh yield. »
Transport and slaughter
When sent for slaughter, at 36 days of age, the chickens are caught by hand by “catchers” and placed in cages which are then loaded onto trucks. Like other farm animals, chickens must fast for a few hours before leaving for the slaughterhouse, a measure that ensures the quality of the meat.
Almost all the chickens then go to the slaughterhouses of Exceldor and Olymel. Exceldor declined to grant an interview to To have tolimiting himself to declaring by email that his methods are “rigorously framed by Quebec and Canadian standards of animal welfare and public health”.
At Olymel, the group’s slaughterhouses were reorganized starting in 2011 so that chickens are anesthetized with CO12 before bleeding them, which causes their death. A method that reduces the suffering and stress of animals related to slaughter, while improving the working conditions of employees and the quality of the meat, argues Richard Vigneault, communications manager for Olymel. The chickens then make their way to the plates of consumers, who are more and more fond of this meat considered better for health and the environment than red meat.
Tomorrow: oxen
Note that all the practices mentioned are authorized by the codes of practice governing animal husbandry in Canada.